UN chief meets eastern Libya commander as fighters close in on Tripoli

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi on Friday in a bid to avert renewed civil war as his forces advanced on the capital Tripoli to challenge the internationally recognized government.

The military thrust by Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), which is allied to a parallel administration based in the east, marked a dangerous escalation of a power struggle that has dragged on since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar attends his swearing in ceremony as the new self-styled Libyan National Army chief, March 9, 2015. /VCG Photo

LNA forces on Thursday took Gharyan, about 80 km (50 miles) south of Tripoli after skirmishes with forces allied to Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj. But they failed to take a checkpoint about 30 km west of the capital in a bid to close the coastal road to Tunisia. An LNA-allied militia withdrew overnight from so-called Gate 27, leaving it abandoned in the morning, reporter said.

In another setback, forces allied to Tripoli took 145 LNA fighters prisoner in Zawiya, west of Tripoli, a western commander, Mohamed Alhudair, told Reuters. An LNA source confirmed 128 had been captured. Sixty vehicles had also been seized, Alhudairi said.

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Meanwhile armed groups allied to the UN-backed Tripoli government moved more machine gun-mounted pickups from the coastal city of Misrata to Tripoli to defend it against Haftar's forces.

The escalation surprised the UN, whose Secretary-General Guterres had been in Tripoli this week to help organize a national reconciliation conference planned for later this month.

Guterres, who spent Thursday night in the heavily fortified UN compound in a Tripoli suburb, flew to Benghazi and drove to Haftar's base, witnesses said. He earlier went to Tobruk, another eastern city, to meet Aguila Saleh, president of the House of Representatives, which is also allied to Haftar.

Aguila Saleh (R), Libya's parliament president, shakes hand with Secretary General (L) of the United Nations Antonio Guterres in Tobruk, Libya, April 5, 2019. /VCG Photo

"My aim remains the same: avoid a military confrontation. I reiterate that there is no military solution for the Libyan crisis, only a political one," Guterres said on Twitter.

On Thursday, Saleh welcomed the offensive. After the meeting with Guterres, his spokesman said they had discussed ways to end the crisis and the planned conference, without giving details.

International concern

Britain's foreign minister said on Thursday the advance by Libya's eastern commander Khalifa Haftar towards the capital Tripoli was of great concern.

"We are watching the situation in Libya very carefully, with great deal of concern, and are seeking to maximize European and British influence on situation," Jeremy Hunt said at a news conference with Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland. Haftar's offensive on the capital Tripoli would be discussed among the seven ministers, they said.

Migrants hold placards during United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' visit to Ain Zara detention center for migrants in Tripoli, Libya, April 4, 2019. /VCG Photo

Germany called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council due to the military escalation.

Russia said it was not helping Haftar's forces and it supported a negotiated political settlement that ruled out any new bloodshed.

Italy, which lies across the Mediterranean from Libya, was very worried by the turn of events, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said.

(L to R) Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attend a meeting to discuss the situation in Libya,Tunis, Tunisia, March 30, 2019. /VCG Photo

"We need to throw water on the fire, not petrol on the fire. I hope that people, acting out of economic or business self-interest, is not looking for a military solution, which would be devastating," Salvini said.

Tunisia has tightened control on its border with Libya in response to the renewed conflict, the defense ministry said. The UN and Western countries were already trying to mediate between Serraj and Haftar, who met in Abu Dhabi last month to discuss a power-sharing deal.

The conference the UN is helping to organize is aimed at forging agreement on a road map for elections to resolve the prolonged instability in Libya.

(Cover: Military vehicles, which were confiscated from Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar's troops, are seen in Zawiyah, west of Tripoli, Libya April 5, 2019. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Reuters